“Blatant attack on Communists”: Brinda Karat hits out at ED over FIR request against Pinarayi Vijayan in CMRL case

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], September 10 (ANI): CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat on Thursday termed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) request to Kerala Police to register an FIR against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as a “blatant attack on communists”.
She alleged that the ED has no case. 
“This is such a clear and blatant attack on the communists through the personal attack on Pinarayi Vijayan. ED has no case. It was rejected by the Kerala High Court. That rejection was upheld by the Supreme Court, and suddenly the ED comes into the picture after the court has rejected such ridiculous charges and asked the Congress government to file that case,” Karat told ANI.
She questioned why the ED was asking the state government to register an FIR instead of filing a case itself.
“Usually, the ED files its own case. Now it's asking the government to file the case. Why is it so? Congress has to think about it,” she added.
The remarks came after the ED on Tuesday formally approached the Kerala Police seeking registration of an FIR against Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter T Veena and son-in-law PA Mohamed Riyas under charges of corruption, officials said.
The ED’s Kochi zone is learnt to have written to Kerala Police last week, seeking registration of the FIR as part of its ongoing investigation into the CMRL financial transactions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The development follows searches conducted by the agency at multiple locations in Kerala and Bengaluru in connection with the case. In May, ED officials searched 10 premises linked to CMRL directors SN Sasidharan Kartha, Saran S Kartha, Veena and her company Exalogic Solutions Private Limited.
The agency said it had recovered records, digital evidence, investment details and bank fixed deposits during the searches and had frozen around Rs 18.36 crore across nearly 242 accounts.
The investigation stems from earlier Income Tax Department findings concerning CMRL. The department had identified alleged fake expenses, while the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) subsequently initiated proceedings and filed a prosecution complaint in 2025.
According to the ED, Exalogic Solutions received Rs 2.78 crore from CMRL allegedly under the guise of IT consultancy services. The agency has alleged that the payments formed part of proceeds of crime generated through financial irregularities at CMRL. (ANI)